Kelsey Grammer is opening up about the 1975 murder of his sister, Karen Grammer, in his new book “Karen: A Brother Remembers.”
Karen Grammer was 18 years old when she was kidnapped and murdered by several men in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Freddie Glenn was convicted of the killing and is serving life in prison, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette.
Kelsey Grammer’s memoir, which was released May 6, delves into the “profound grief and devastation that followed Karen’s death, as well as the long and arduous journey toward healing,” according to its description.
In the process of writing the book, the “Cheers” actor learned exactly what happened to his sister for the first time, he told The Times.
During Glenn’s trial, prosecutors cautioned Kelsey Grammer away from attending to spare the grisly details of what happened to his sister. He read the police report for the first time when he started writing the book, he told The Times.
What happened to Kelsey Grammer’s sister Karen?
On July 1, 1975, Karen Grammer was at a Red Lobster restaurant where she worked waiting for her boyfriend to be done with his shift.
Glenn and three other men had decided to rob the restaurant, but when they pulled up, they saw Karen Grammer outside. Instead, fearing she could identify them to police, the men kidnapped Karen Grammer.
They took her back to an apartment where they raped her. After, they dropped her at a trailer park where Glenn stabbed her to death, according to the Gazette.
Glenn was later found guilty in Grammer’s murder and was also convicted in two other killings. The judge in Grammer’s murder case sentenced him to death, but it was ultimately overturned to a life sentence, according to the Gazette.
He has been denied parole several times, with Grammer testifying against his release in 2014.
Glenn’s accomplice, Michael Corbett, was also imprisoned for the two other murders until his death in 2019, according to KOAA.
Kelsey Grammer on sister’s murder: ‘The mission is to heal’
Kelsey Grammer told ABC News that he decided to write about his sister’s death to help honor her life. He also told The Times that a medium told him Karen wanted him to share her story.
“I spent a long time on her death and very little on her life,” he told ABC News. “And that’s what I hope people will take — spend time on the life you lost, spend time on the life you shared rather than the day you lost it.”
He added, “the mission is to heal, but the mission is also to help heal other people.”
Grammer told The Times that he struggled with grief after his sister’s death, turning to alcohol and drugs to cope before starting therapy.
He also said that while writing his book, he returned to the scene where she was kidnapped and where she died.
“I discovered in the writing and in the journey of this book the idea that I had to be there and do what I wasn’t able to do before, which was to hold her as she died,” he said.
Where is Kelsey Grammer’s book available?
It’s available for purchase at multiple bookstores, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The list price is $31.99 for the hardcover edition, though both retailers are offering discounts on it as of May 6.
Melina Khan is a trending reporter covering national news for USA TODAY. She can be reached at MKhan@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kelsey Grammer’s new book: How did his sister Karen Grammer die?
